Update on City Commission Direction

Welcome to smoke season, or as it is more commonly known outside of Montana, August. In our last project update, we shared that we would be seeking direction from City Commission at their July 28 meeting. With big important projects like this one, it's good to check in periodically to ensure the direction we're heading continues to align with Commission's vision. In recent months, we had started to hear from community members engaging on this project that perhaps we were off course, and that was all the more reason to double check. You can watch a recording of the presentation and Commission discussion on the City's website (jump ahead in the video to the 1:01:30 timestamp, when this topic begins). A summary of several key takeaways is provided in this update.

In our presentation to Commission, the project team asked three main questions to help guide next steps on this project and the ongoing Local Landmark Project.

(1) Do you agree with the proposed sequence of work?

Our first question related to the sequence of work. You may recall that the Historic Preservation Advisory Board (HPAB) was working through these projects one piece at a time, with the NCOD Design Standards update and revisions to demolition regulations currently before them. With the loss of our project consultant for the NCOD Design Standards, we wanted to revisit our order of operations to ensure work can continue to move forward while we seek a new consultant.

Initially, Commission agreed that revisions to our historic preservation code sections should come first, followed by the NCOD Design Standards update, then development of a Local Landmark Program. This was the order HPAB preferred when we asked them earlier this year. After some discussion, however, Commission suggested that a Local Landmark Program may be a way to help tailor and apply design standards more precisely to specific designated areas as opposed to the whole NCOD. Leading up to this discussion, we had been working toward an approach that incorporated tiers into the revised design standards. The tiered approach would have achieved a similar outcome (applying design standards differently in different areas) but may have been more complicated to implement. Commission told us that it may make sense to finish developing a Local Landmark Program that lays out the process for nominating and designating landmark districts before we finish updating the design standards. This sequence is further supported by the fact that we have an active contract with the consultant (Community Planning Collaborative) working on both the code revisions and Local Landmark Program.

What this means is that the NCOD Design Standards update will take a backseat temporarily while work continues on code revisions and development of a Local Landmark Program. It's important to remember that updating the design standards is still a priority for all the reasons we have explained since we started this work, and we are committed to picking the project back up as soon as possible. We anticipate seeking a new consultant toward the end of this year, but will not have further community engagement opportunities (including with our neighborhood focus group) on this project until that time.

(2) Do you want to modify the dimensional standards that are established in base zoning through application of the neighborhood conservation overlay district?

Many comments received through our community engagement on this project emphasized the importance of compatible building form, especially height, width, and setbacks. These aspects of building design are regulated through standards and limitations within existing base zoning. For example, in our current Unified Development Code (UDC), every zoning district has a regulatory height limit. These standards and limitations were recently reviewed through the multi-year effort to update the UDC. We wanted to understand from Commission whether they intended that the standards and limitations in base zoning would be further modified in one area of the city by an overlay district (the NCOD). A majority of commissioners were not in favor of modifying dimensional standards (such as the height and width of buildings) via an overlay district. They expressed a preference to address issues and concerns about building bulk and mass by making sure the base zoning itself is appropriate, both in what is allowed in a zoning district and where the districts are applied within the city. This conversation will continue as Commission and numerous city boards consider height limitations in the B-3 zoning district.

What this means for the NCOD Design Standards is that standards and guidelines will likely focus on aspects of building design not already regulated through base zoning. This could include things like roofline/pitch or building modulation, in addition to architectural design elements. Again, we will pick this conversation back up later this year as we seek a new project consultant.

(3) What outcome(s) do you want to see from regulating the demolition of structures?

As we continue to work with HPAB on revisions to our demolition regulations, we took this opportunity to ask Commission about their goals. They echoed many of the recommendations previously provided by HPAB. This topic will be discussed further at the upcoming HPAB meeting on August 19.

What this means is that work on code revisions will continue to be our top priority. Updating our historic preservation regulations will bring them up to date with best practices and community values. The project team is working on demolition code first at the direction of HPAB and we look forward to reviewing proposed revisions together this fall.

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Thanks for your continued interest in these projects! In the next few months, project updates related to code revisions and the Local Landmark Program will be posted on the Engage page for the Local Landmark Project. Make sure to follow along there to stay current with our historic preservation work! We'll be sure to post an update here when we're ready to resume work on the NCOD Design Standards with a new consultant team.